Boucher residents face summer concerts disruption with Bruce Springsteen and Liam Gallagher among the acts on the way to Belfast

Belfast City Council is beginning a process of engagement with residents in areas beside venues for major gigs this year, including Boucher Road Playing Fields and Ormeau Park.

The council has also set up a new “Social Value Fund” to be allocated to those local communities beside Boucher Road Playing Fields who are feeling adverse effects from large concerts.

The Playing Fields will host Bruce Springsteen in May, and Liam Gallagher, Noah Kahan and the Emerge Festival in August.

In June 2022 Boucher Road Playing Fields were confirmed to remain a venue for music gigs and other events, when its entertainment licence was renewed, despite complaints and objections from local residents.

Two months later Belfast council announced extra residential security to protect residents around the Playing Fields gigs after people were left “traumatised” in their homes after an Ed Sheeran concert, according to a local councillor.

The Fields have hosted large gigs since 2010, and while a huge source of income to the city economy, are an ongoing source of upset to neighbours.

A council report states: “One of the key challenges at this venue is the lower level of residents, community organisations and businesses to participate in engagement events, in comparison to the Ormeau and Ravenhill areas.”

At the recent meeting of the full Belfast Council at City Hall, SDLP Councillor Donal Lyons told the chamber there were “difficulties, displacement and disruption that large outdoor events cause in our parks.”

He said: “I think (the concerts) are on balance a good thing. They bring money to the city, they bring safe and shared spaces for young people to socialise in, and there is a vibrancy and a cultural output that is hugely valuable right throughout the creative ecosystem.

“But they are also difficult, to say the least, for local residents. When I think of Boucher Road Playing Fields, and the incremental increase of its use over the last decade or so, we seem to have forgotten these are sporting playing fields provided by the council for the people of Belfast, and not an outdoor arena.

“And I do think (the social fund for Boucher) is long overdue.

He added: “I have seen people climb over my constituents’ houses in the mistaken belief they could hop a wall to get into the Playing Fields for free. They neglected to see there was a Homebase between the houses and the Playing Fields.

“I have seen disruption and aggression towards homeowners and residents who are doing the outrageous thing of trying to protect their property from being used as a public toilet. We could go on and on. Frankly the media are a step ahead of us, for they have been highlighting this year in year out.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Geraldine McAteer told the chamber: “First of all I think it is fantastic that Belfast is very firmly on the map as a destination for world class artists now. The city is seeing a huge amount of artists coming our way this year, particularly in Boucher Road where we will be seeing the likes of Bruce Springsteen.

“These artists are very welcome, they attract huge audiences, and they generate a huge amount of revenue. Quite apart from that, they lift the image and the morale of the city.

“But they also come with great logistical challenges, and that is why I want to welcome the more proactive approach we are taking to how these events are going to be managed for local residents.”

She said: “There are lots of issues to do with traffic management, emergency services, health and safety and so on. It is vital that we have the residents involved in how those decisions are made.

“I think we have good foundations to work upon. At a meeting at City Hall called last year that I asked for, we had the emergency services as well as City Council officials.

“I have to say the residents came up with really good, constructive, progressive suggestions as to how all the logistics around the concerts will impact them, and how they can be carried out. So I look forward to the meetings that are being called by the City Council in the next few weeks.”